The heartbreaking search for 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro took a devastating turn on Friday when his parents, Jake and Rebecca Haro, were arrested for murder, California authorities confirmed.
The couple was taken into custody by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s homicide detectives at their home in Cabazon, roughly one week after Rebecca claimed her baby was kidnapped outside a sporting goods store on August 14, according to the New York Post.
But investigators say that story didn’t hold up.
Authorities had previously noted “inconsistencies in her initial statement,” and as the investigation progressed, the sheriff’s office refused to rule out foul play.
In a Facebook post Friday, the department confirmed that the Haros are now facing murder charges, although the search for Emmanuel — described as having a full head of brown hair and brown eyes — continues.
The case has drawn nationwide attention and sparked outrage, especially after Rebecca told police she had been assaulted and knocked unconscious by an unknown man — only to wake up and find her baby gone.
“If you know anything, please come forward or take him to the cops,” Rebecca pleaded last week in an interview with KTLA, sporting a black eye. “Please come and bring my son back. I’m begging you.”
But behind the scenes, detectives were serving search warrants at the Haros’ residence and reviewing surveillance footage that contradicted the couple’s account.
Adding another dark chapter to the family’s history, Rebecca Haro’s brother, James Beushausen, is currently serving at least 50 years in prison for the 2017 murder of his 27-year-old girlfriend, Jaylynn Amanda Keith.
Defense attorney Vincent Hughes, who is representing Jake Haro, said he was still gathering information about the charges but emphasized his client’s innocence.
“Jake Haro has denied any involvement in his child’s disappearance,” Hughes told The Post, clarifying that he only represents the father to avoid any potential conflicts of interest. Hughes has previously represented Jake in past criminal cases — including a 2023 jail stint for willful child cruelty, after Emmanuel’s older half-sister suffered broken bones at just 10 weeks old in 2018, according to the Orange County Register.
Still, Hughes pushed back against connecting the dots between Jake’s prior conviction and the current murder charge.
“The criminal justice system is about reform, he completed the child abuse class, he did what he was told to do,” Hughes said. “I don’t really see how if somebody has a charge, any future charge means that they did it.”
The high-profile nature of the case has also put Hughes under fire.
“I’m being completely dragged through the mud because I’m giving somebody what they are constitutionally protected and afforded,” the attorney said, noting he’s received death threats and verbal abuse since taking the case.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation is far from over, and until Emmanuel is found, the heartbreak — and search for justice — continues.
